Help save stray animals in PR

When we went on vacation to Rincon, Puerto Rico we did not expect to come home with a dog. But, we did.

Shortly after arriving, a Sato (stray) was at our vacation stay, curled up in a pile of dirt.

The Sato approached me and I gave her a few cubes of cheese. It was love at first bite. She quickly became extremely attached to me - following everywhere I went, we were inseparable. She went from “Sato dog” to “Lady”. I worked with Angels for Animals PR to help get her ready for official adoption and plan the trip home to New York.

Unfortunately, in prepping her for her trip it was discovered that Lady is heartworm positive.

Heartworm is a scary diagnosis but very treatable - and preventable. Many dogs in Puerto Rico become heartworm positive due to lack of disease prevention. A recent study shows up to 70% of rescued dogs may be infected. If left untreated, the dog will die.

Lucky for Lady, promptly after diagnosis she began treatment in preparation for two injections of melarsomine, a very strenuous medication, as well as costly, though effective in treating the disease.


Lady’s story unfortunately is not unique - many strays struggle to survive with diseases, abuse and hungry. Dawn single handedly is saving lives everyday by rescuing dogs and cats.


Any monitary donations will support her efforts but any interest in sponsoring, fostering or adopting an animal is incredibly helpful.